A couple of weeks ago I went to the Chicago Auto Show, like I do every year. I was a little reluctant to go this year, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cars on display.

My first awesome surprise was the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon. This incredibly powerful (and practical) car wasn’t offered in the US for quite a few years. The only downside was that it is currently offered with the biturbo 5.5L, which just doesn’t sound as sweet as the 6.2L. Because it is an AMG car, I’m sure that it packs enough power though. The other surprise was the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ. I just haven’t been keeping track of these cars, so I was surprised that both manufacturers had models on display (I still think the Subaru looks better, and it looks great in person).

I did feel more like a regular consumer at other times. The Cadillac ATS was one car that wasn’t on my radar, but was very impressive in person. The BMW 3 Series is still the king though, because I found myself building one after already deciding that I didn’t need a new car.

The two cars that actually disappointed me were the Fiat 500 Abrath and the Volkswagen Golf R. The interiors of both really killed it for me. The 500 just didn’t have the charm or style needed for the price range. The Golf R was basically a GTI with different seats. It was a let down because years ago, the R had significantly nicer seats, dash, etc. The Golf R is a nice car, but I just can’t justify the price.

It was a decent year though. You can see all my pics here.